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"If I needed anything, they would be there."
Cosette and Wilson Grant, who live in
the Raleigh area, started attending the group
dinners aer running into Conrad Lopes at
a North Carolina State University football
game in 2001.
"We went and had a great time,'' Cosette
Grant says. "It brought back so many
memories. We sat around talking, and that's
when the idea of taking a trip came up."
At first, the trips were scheduled every
two years, then yearly. "We've gone to
more places than what I ever thought was
possible," Cosette says.
Like Sandi, the Grants can't point to any
one trip as their favorite. It's the moments in
time during the excursions that stand out,
including having lunch in the home of an
Italian family during the trip to Italy.
Conrad and Karen Lopes echo those
sentiments, although the trip to Hawaii may
rank above all others for them. It's where
their daughter, who accompanied them, was
married, Conrad says.
"Hawaii was extra special, of course, but
all the trips were extra special," says Karen.
e group has a bucket list of places to
visit: Yellowstone; Greece, particularly
Athens; Rome; Panama; another trip down
the Danube to Prague; and Norway to see
the Northern Lights. e Norway trip seems
to be the most popular possibility.
"is relationship with my friends has
meant a world to me,'' Conrad Lopes says.
"ey are some pretty special people. I'm
grateful for the opportunity to make new
memories with them."
The travelers enjoyed their time in Sicily.